blogs/rabbigoldberg

I had the great pleasure this week to visit the Thomas Edison Elementary School in Port Chester, along with a few other local clergy who are new to the area. I was very impressed by what I saw: a well-run school where children are learning and growing. As you may know, the schools in Port Chester face some significant challenges. The population of Edison Elementary is about 90% Latino, including many recent immigrants and English language...Read more...

It's my honor to be here today in support of Hadassah. I also extend my congratulations to Dodo Friedman, who is a devoted member of my synagogue, Congregation KTI. Dodo, I love seeing your quiet smile every Shabbat. It is my honor to be celebrated with you today and to be your rabbi. When Kathy Salom asked me if I would agree to be honored this year, I immediately said yes. She thought that this chapter was merely honoring one of the new...Read more...

Among the commentary and news items that circulate leading up to each major Jewish holiday, one piece stood out. [Available here: https://forward.com/life/faith/422792/american-jewish-teens-passover-seder/ ] Dr. Arielle Levites is a scholar of Jewish education, and she and her colleague Dr. Liat Sayfan recently completed a soon to be published study about today's Jewish teenagers. They surveyed more than 17,000 American Jewish teens, the largest...Read more...

In my life prior to KTI, I spend many years as a student, first college and then rabbinical school. Part of that lifestyle meant that I was constantly moving. In fact, every nine months or so, or sometimes even more frequently, would I pack up all of my belongings and go somewhere else, including moving to Israel and back twice. There were times in rabbinical school when for various personal and professional reasons I would be away from home...Read more...

Two years ago, Daniel and I had the opportunity to visit Channel Islands National Park. The islands are about an hour's boat ride off the coast of Southern California. They draw in visitors with opportunities to be deep in relatively unspoiled wilderness in just a day trip from the concrete jungle of Los Angeles. Around the perimeter of the islands are many sea caves, rock formations carved out by the rhythms of the waves. One popular...Read more...